Song Yun put down the rice bag, turned around and walked out of the house into the yard.

After returning to the courtyard, she whispered a few words to Xu Jinbu.

Xu Jinbu nodded, turned and walked out of the yard, went to the village entrance, and called all the brothers on the truck to get off.

"The captain asked us to split into groups of two and go to the village to inquire about Zhou Qiaolan, especially the unusual events that happened with her and the Zhou family in the past two days."

Xu Jinbu took out the bag Song Yun mentioned from the passenger seat, found a bag of fruit candy, and distributed a handful to each teammate. He then said, "The captain said that everyone might help cover up some things, but the children don't understand these things. Besides asking the adults in the village, you can also ask the children about the situation."

After distributing the candies, Xu Jinbu emphasized, "The captain said we must form groups of at least two. It is strictly forbidden to act alone."

Except for the armed forces driver who was driving, everyone dispersed and went to the village to inquire about the situation.

Elsewhere, Song Yun and the political commissar were chatting with Old Lady Zhou. Old Lady Zhou once again told the political commissar how difficult it was to raise and care for Zhou Dazhu, saying that life was difficult without the family's pillar. Then she changed the subject, "My daughter Qiaolan said she plans to have children after she gets married and stay at home to take care of her husband and children. She doesn't want to go out to work and wants to give her job to her cousin, my eldest grandson, the eldest grandson of our Zhou family."

The political commissar didn't say no, nor did he say yes. He just smiled and said, "I need to ask Zhou Qiaolan about this in person. If she agrees, I'll report it to you."

Old Mrs. Zhou looked embarrassed. "Qiaolan said this herself. How could it be false? I'm her grandmother. How could I lie about something like this?"

The political commissar said, "Auntie, I didn't say I didn't believe you, nor did I question your lying. I was just following the rules. This job belongs to Qiaolan. If I want to transfer it to someone else, she has to do it personally. No one can do it for her."

Old Mrs. Zhou's face darkened slightly, and then she looked embarrassed. "Commissar, there are some things I didn't want to say. After all, it's a family scandal. But things have come to this point, so I have no choice but to tell you. I hope you can be flexible on this matter because of the special circumstances."

Political Commissar was very curious about what Old Lady Zhou was going to say. He nodded slightly at her and said, "Go ahead."

Old Mrs. Zhou lowered her voice, as if she was about to reveal a huge secret. "Qiaolan is pregnant, and she can't hide it anymore. She's already living with her in-laws. It's really embarrassing to tell them. She's too embarrassed to show up in public. She's going to her in-laws' house to take care of the baby. She said she wanted to give the job to her cousin Zhou Wei herself."

After listening to this, the political commissar smiled and said, "Then you can wait until she gives birth before applying for a job. The spot will be reserved for her, and she won't be able to run away."

Mrs. Zhou couldn't help but interject, "How can that be possible? If you start working a month earlier, you can get an extra month's salary. If you waste time like this, how much less salary will you earn?"

Political Commissar Li didn't respond, but picked up the tea bowl to drink some tea. He brought the bowl to his lips to see a few unwashed stains on the edge of the bowl, then put it down silently.

Seeing that Political Commissar was unmoved, Old Lady Zhou began to get anxious. She had made so many preparations not just to listen to Political Commissar's official polite words, but she wanted to get benefits and had to get Xiaowei's job done today.

"Political Commissar, it's not that we don't cooperate. It's just that Qiaolan's current condition isn't suitable for her to go out and do these things. How about this: you assign the work to my Xiaowei first. After Qiaolan gives birth, I'll personally bring her to you to tell her about the situation. What do you think?"

The political commissar thought to himself, "That's not good. The abacus beads are falling on my face."

At this time, Song Yun spoke up, "Auntie, where is Comrade Zhou Qiaolan's in-laws' home? If it's nearby, we can go over and take a look now."